BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced its preseason coaches' poll for women's soccer. Minnesota State Moorhead was selected to finish 16
th in the poll while midfielder
Mary Cox and defender
Lizzy Jaraczeski were tabbed as 'players to watch'.
The Dragons earned their poll placement with 34 points. Minnesota State earned the top spot in the preseason index, garnering 223 points and 13 first-place votes. Concordia-St. Paul (3) assumed the other first-place nods, earning the second position. Moorhead is coming off a 3-14-1 season in 2025, including a pair of NSIC victories over Southwest Minnesota State and Jamestown.
"Moving on from a large graduating class last year, there are 14 new faces arriving in Moorhead. A lot rides on the new freshmen to get settled and start contributing," said MSUM head soccer coach
Scott Forster, who embarks on his third season as head coach in 2026. "There's a huge upside to come from these players joining the returning core with a new energy that will push the Dragons to be more competitive in the Northern Sun. Team, togetherness and determination is at an all-time high."
Cox, a junior from Evergreen, Colo., turned into the lifeblood of the Dragon offense in 2025. She would play and start all 18 matches for MSUM in the midfield, tallying a total 1,498 minutes. That mark places her within the top ten in program history for a single season. Cox logged 19 total shots on the year while dishing out four assists.
"Mary was an ever-present starting player for the Dragon as a sophomore. Moving into her junior year she was unanimously voted in as a team captain. Mary's energy and enthusiasm for the game is infectious pushing those around her to get better," said Forster of Cox. "She raises the standards in everything she does while finding time for compassion and encouragement. Mary provides offensive and defensive support in her role as a box-to-box midfielder that is a cornerstone of Dragon soccer's creative passing game."
Jaraczeski led the Dragons in minutes played in 2025, logging 1,553 ticks, the seventh-most in a single season in school history. The Great Falls, Mont., native was a pivotal piece to the Dragon backline and fixes to remain in that role in 2026.
"Lizzy is a leader on and off the field. Her attitude and focus exemplify Dragon soccer spirit. She has been an ever-present defensive piece for MSUM," said Forster of Jaraczeski. "As a redshirt senior, Lizzy brings experience from Division I and II to help Dragon soccer defensively. Her personal standards raise competition around her as she challenges every teammate in every session to get better."
The Dragons begin the 2026 slate on the road in a non-conference contest against Minnesota Crookston. The Highway 75 Rivalry Rock matchup will take place on Thursday, August 31 at 3 p.m. Moorhead's first home match will take place on Friday, September 18 in an NSIC tilt with Sioux Falls.
